Has anyone ever made their own ketchup from tomato paste or tomato sauce?

[Talitha]

Online recipies are abundant, but I'd rather get tips from my friends here at DU.


What I'm interested in is making salt-free ketchup - the store price is outrageous. And while I'm at it, I'd probably lower the sugar content too.

Thanks!

[Mr.Bill]

1. We make ketchup out of tomato juice,

but I'm sure that has salt in it. Maybe you can find a low sodium juice.

[Talitha]

4. Seems like it'd need to be boiled down quite a bit. And yeah, it's probably got salt in it.

For the longest time, I've been using tomato paste to make soup. Sprinkle a bit of garlic powder (not garlic salt) on it, yum-yum!

The listed ingredients on the tomato paste are 'tomato paste' and 'citric acid', but there's still 100mg sodium in a 6 oz can. Not much, and I'm guessing it's natural, like a typical serving of chicken usually has between 65mg and 90mg of sodium, depending if it's white or dark meat - dark meat tends to be on the high end, no idea why.

[Croney]

2. We get these 6-packs and that lasts us a long time.

Heinz Tomato Ketchup with No Salt Added, 14 Ounce (Pack of 6) https://a.co/d/i4Biu2D

I should try making my own, how hard can it be?

[Talitha]

7. Yep, that's the same size I get - but mine's over $5. Yikes.

They really rake you over the coals in these small towns, ya know?

Ordering it is cheaper but by the time I pay shipping it might average out to be about what I'm paying now. That's why I want to make it - I use a lot of it.

[brewens]

3. Thanks. Maybe. I'm almost psycho about whole food homemade. I hadn't thought of that.

Now I have to try it. Never hurts to make it healthier.

Half of my ketchup gets used in a chili recipe I came up with. A small batch would work great, be good for cocktail sauce, and leave just a little for anything else. I can imagine it wouldn't keep all that long.

[Talitha]

8. Some of the online recipes include directions for canning it.

It'd keep longer than the smaller batch in the fridge.

[brewens]

9. I only have a canning bath for jams. I could do that if it doesn't take a pressure cooker.

If I had a garden, I'd have one.

[werdna]

5. I have done so.

28 oz (or 32, whatever is available in your favorite grocer) no salt tomato puree
3 oz no salt tomato paste, or more to desired thickness. Bear in mind, tomatoes naturally contain some salt, so you won't be able to totally eradicate it.
As you have probably discovered in your online research, spice palettes vary. I have found if you want to emulate commercial brands, lean heavily on the onion powder. Other spices include garlic, allspice, clove, and cinnamon, which I suggest go sparingly on - half or less of any recipe and then add to taste - as they can easily overpower the other ingredients. Brown sugar adds a subtle boldness, again to taste.
Add all together in sauce pan, bring slowly to boil stirring frequently. Taste test to make adjustments to spice balance. Reduce to simmer for about 15 - 20 mins., stirring every so often to prevent scorching. Good luck!

[Talitha]

13. Ooooo - tomato puree thickened with tomato paste... brilliant!

Yes, I know tomatoes have a natural sodium content, but it's nothing compared to how much they add during processing.

Thanks so much for your advice! Yes, the recipes mention onion powder, garlic powder, etc... one of them even mentioned honey instead of brown sugar, and vinegar too.

Question: is there a need/reason to boil it?
Suppose I only use tomato paste, and water it down just enough to get it to the thickness I want - it wouldn't need to get 'reduced' by boiling, would it? Or is the boiling needed to properly blend the flavors?

Thanks again!

[werdna]

23. Boiling -

- yes, helps with releasing and fusing the various bouquets of flavor from spices. Also yes, helps reduce and thicken the consistency.

I might add, if you're producing large amounts for storage, consult online canning procedures. Proper canning reduces spoilage and harmful bacterial growth. Have fun!

[Talitha]

25. Ok, thanks!

[RockRaven]

6. Oh my. Salt free ketchup sounds like a bummer. My condolences...

I've made various BBQ sauces from scratch but never ketchup.

Off the top of my head I would guess some tomato paste is necessary, rather than just tomato sauce, because other sources of umami/glutamate are disqualified by the salt issue (soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies), and tomato paste is a good source.

[Croney]

10. Salt-free anything is a bummer, really, but my husband

is successful at keeping his blood pressure down without medication. There is hidden salt everywhere. We buy sodium-free baking powder etc. I guess it's all worth it. I miss salt though.

[Talitha]

18. Congratulations to your hubby, that's great!

Have you tried 'No-Salt'? It's definitely not the same, but it adds a bit of a zing.

When menopause hit, I started to retain water after having something salty. It was frustrating, because the food was stuff I'd been having all my life. That's when I started to look for low/no salt products.

And hoo-boy, you're right about all the hidden salt. It was quite a shock when I started to read labels. Soda for instance - why is there salt in a can of soda? Sheesh.

[Croney]

20. He says that salt substitutes have some ingredient he doesn't like

(I forget what) but I just looked up the one you mention and it seems better. I'll look for it. Thanks!

[Talitha]

26. You're welcome - I hope he likes it!

[sir pball]

24. Salt is added soda, as with most foods, to enhance the taste.

Sweets absolutely benefit from the flavor boost of salt; a wee sprinkle on a really good melon changes it from yummy to transcendental. Any pastry chef worth the title will salt their desserts almost as heavily as a cook will salt an entrée; eating out, even at "healthy" restaurants, or just a simple bakery/pastry shop, is pretty much an absolute no-no if you're on a sodium restricted diet.

You can ask for no salt, of course, but so much is added during the pre-cooking preparation to make little difference if the cook seasons the final dish.

[Talitha]

27. Well that's a new one on me - I learn something new every day here on DU!

[Talitha]

14. It's not bad tasting, really - the salt-free stuff has a salt-substitute in it.

Ever see 'No-Salt' at the store? That's what they use instead of salt.

[fierywoman]

11. I've seen ketchup recipes using fresh tomatoes (lucky you if you have access to fresh, tasty

tomatoes!!!) Look for recipes for keto people -- they tend to cut out the chemicals and sugar, etc. I believe I've seen that ketchup can be frozen ... Sorry I haven't tried any, I almost never use ketchup so no reason to try a recipe.

[Talitha]

15. Thanks for the tip, I'll check out some keto recipes.

[fierywoman]

16. Also: aren't canned tomatoes available with no salt?

[Talitha]

19. I'm pretty sure I've seen them - for sure, there's 'reduced' salt canned tomatoes.

TBH, I never realized there was no-salt ketchup till I started searching the shelves for a brand I hadn't seen in decades - Brooks... it had a nice tang to it.

That's when I found out there's ketchup with no-salt, and also some with reduced salt and sugar.

[Tetrachloride]

12. carrots and onions for sugar.

[Talitha]

17. That sounds interesting - grated, or liquefied in the blender?

I bet sweet Vidalia onions would be great.

[Tetrachloride]

21. it won't take much. the carrots in my area are mighty sweet.

half a carrot might be enough.

also, different colors of peppers. a wider variety of sugar as a result.

for garlic, minced may be less gritty than powder.

i use chicken spices or shish tawook mix every day.

[Talitha]

28. Thanks ever so much!

[applegrove]

22. My aunt used to make Pioneers' Ketchup. It was chutney but with ketchup zing.

Last edited Sun May 7, 2023, 02:07 PM - Edit history (2)

I'd go to the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia with my Aunt to farmers markets to get the tomatoes and the onions and the pears. It was delicious. It was great on baked chicken. Or used any way you'd use ketchup. There must have been vinegar in it. It was umami heaven.

[Talitha]

29. Sounds delicious - were the pears used as a sweetener?

Gee, I'm learning a lot here. Since I'm planning to make about 2 cups at a time, it'll be fun to experiment.

[applegrove]

30. Yes. There were small chunks of pears throughout. It was really good.

[Talitha]

31. Thanks!

[Tetrachloride]

34. As long as not apples, chutney is flexible. ginger.

see homemade recipes.

chutney with apples will turn out to be really good applesauce

[Warpy]

32. EmmyMade did some taste testing

of old Civil War era recipes and found both the northern and southern recipes vastly superior to the stuff in the bottles and fast food packs. I know I've never liked the store bought stuff because they load it up with so much vinegar that it's hard to taste anything else.

Emmy started with tomatoes from her garden. Most of the recipes I've seen that look decent use canned tomatoes, not tomato paste. This one is especially easy: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/232397/homemade-ketchup/ I have to say I'd use half an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic instead of the powder, but that's just how I roll. Note that this is a weekend thing, it's an all day cooking process, just wander into the kitchen periodically to stir it so it doesn't burn on the bottom.

The inescapable all day process is likely why bottled ketchup became so popular.

[Talitha]

33. Thanks for the info and link!